As the battle for the control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State rages on, prominent chieftains of the party are not on the same page regarding the removal of the State Chairman of the party, Soji Adagunodo, by the National Working Committee (NWC), reports ‘Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor
THE Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the southwest geo-political zone of the country may be thrown into a fresh round of intra party crisis over the recent sack of the state Chairman of the party in Osun State, Soji Adagunodo, by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. The NWC directed Adagunodo to step aside as the party boss in the state while mandating the Vice Chairman to take over the leadership of the party as some allegations leveled against Adagunodo are being investigated by the party’s disciplinary committee.
In line with the suspension letter issued on Adagunodo which was signed by Senator Usman Tsauri, the National Secretary of the party, the former Deputy Chairman, Sunday Akanfe, was last Thursday inaugurated as the Acting Chairman in Akure, the Ondo State capital. This is just as Adagunodo insisted that he remained the Osun PDP Chairman despite the ratification of his suspension by the National Working Committee of the party, over alleged anti-party activities, after weeks of allegations and counter allegations among party chiefs in the state.
But Akanfe’s inauguration, which was done at the office of the National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of the party, Eddy Olafeso, is currently generating some ripples in the southwest. According to some party sources, some prominent party leaders in the zone are displeased with the manner the NWC handled the matter. There are concerns that the Uche Secondus-led NWC is pandering to the wishes of some persons within and outside the PDP in its handling of the crises that rocked Ogun and Osun chapters of the party. “And some of us feel this is not too god for the party,” a source said.
But another prominent chieftain of the PDP from Ondo State allayed such fears, saying the leadership of the party at the national level is handling matters differently this time because it has learnt from past mistakes. “What we do now is to carefully examine the desire of the party members, not just the dictates of a few leaders, wherever we have crisis, and take decisions that will be popular with the ordinary members of the party. That is what the NWC and the southwest leadership of the party have done in Osun and Ogun states,” our source claimed.
“I can tell you categorically that the newly inaugurated Osun PDP Acting Chairman was accompanied to Akure by majority of the state working committee members of the party. So, where are those opposed to the decisions of the NWC on this matter? We have tested the waters and I am sure what we have done is what the members of the party in Osun want. But of course, people will talk. Even if we fail to do anything at all, you will still find some people complaining. Now that we have taken action, they still feel offended,” he added.
TWO PARTY CHAIRMEN?
The National Vice Chairman of the party, Mr. Eddy Olafeso, urged the Osun PDP members to work in unity, to take back the state from the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the decision to sack Adagunodo is in the interest of the party in the state. But his position is being challenged by some party chieftains in the state, accusing him of conniving with some state executive committee members in a plot to hand over the Osun State chapter of the party to some individuals who are bent on pocketing the state chapter of the opposition party.
Speaking after his inauguration in Akure, Akanfe promised to ensure that peace returned to the party. He said he bore no grudge against Adagunodo. “We don’t have any grudge against Soji Adagunodo. We will resolve our differences when we get home. I assure you that the PDP under my leadership will close ranks within the party and move it to a greater height. The state working committee, in the last couple of days, has started reaching out to the aggrieved members of the party and to the glory of God the move has started yielding positive results,” he said.
But Adagunodo is insisting that he is in charge of the party in the state, stating that his purported removal was a social media affair as there was no official communication from the party headquarters confirming his removal. He said, “I have not received any official letter from the National Headquarters of the Party, I only read it on the social media as you all did. Also in the purported letter, it was alleged that some of my colleagues wrote a petition against me, I also want you to know that I am not aware of any such petition.
“PDP members in Osun state are hereby advised to ignore the purported letter in circulation as no official communication from National headquarters had reached me. The Nigerian Security Agencies are hereby placed on notice to act promptly against any forceful attempt to take over the Osun State PDP Secretariat to avoid breakdown of law and order. Members of the public are also advised to disregard any purported letter asking me to step aside,” Adagunodo, who called on his supporters to remain calm, said.
But Ayo Fadaka, the zonal publicity secretary of the PDP in the South-West, want Adagunodo and his supporters to think about the party as nobody at the national and zonal level is after the sacked chairman. “His problems are local as the ingredients of his challenges are totally local and the answers to them will always remain so. It is important to say that out of the 14 State Working Committee members, 10 of them are not working with him and actually are up in arms against him over his managerial style,” he said.
ELDERS IN DISARRAY
As the battle for the control of the party in the state rages on, it appears prominent PDP chieftains are not on the same page regarding the removal of Adagunodo. On Tuesday, a statement by Sen. Kolawole Ogunwale, on behalf of the Osun State leaders of PDP, disclosed that the leaders of the party supported the suspension of Adagunodo. “We wish to express our profound gratitude to the Prince Uche Secondus led National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party/PDP, and at the same time applaud and celebrate the recent effort to salvage the soul and architectural structure of our party from collapse,” the statement read.
But Senator Olu Alabi, medical doctor and member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), disagreed with Ogunwale, insisting instead that the stakeholders of the party are behind Adagunodo. “As far as we are concerned, all the members of the PDP BoT from Osun State are on one page; all the elders are on the same page over the issue. It is the Adeleke family that is saying they want to preserve the Adeleke dynasty. They believe that, with Adagunodo as state chairman, the standard-bearer of the PDP in the 2018 governorship election, Ademola Adeleke, may not emerge as the candidate for the 2022 governorship poll in Osun.
“He left the country a long time ago. So, why should anyone think of risking the fortunes of the party and the state because you want to preserve your own dynasty? This thing is not about anybody having a war-chest to pull the string. Those behind this problem are not ready to present any other person outside their dynasty. About six months ago, the fact-finding committee that was sent to investigate the allegations against Adagunodo emphatically stated that it did not find him guilty of any of the allegation or offence; that he gave a clear account of all the funds he collected for the purpose of the elections.
“The fact-finding committee comprised former Minister of Environment, Mrs Malam, Senator Misau and Senator Sam Anyanwu. The problem is the outgoing zonal secretary, Reverend Bunmi Jenyo. He is the one behind the crisis in the Osun State chapter of the party. He is working for the camp of Adeleke, taking correspondence to Abuja on behalf of the group, because of his position,” the PDP BoT member claimed.
Meanwhile, Chief Simeon Adebayo Ajeigbe, another member of the elders’ forum of the party faulted Alabi’s claims, saying “I am disappointed like most members. Firstly, Alabi’s unsubstantiated allegations and wild rhetoric against the Adeleke family, to say the least, reflects an unacceptable mind set from someone who is a BOT member and should be seen as a rallying person within the party for peace rather than being very acrimonious and being an agent of discord in the party. Insinuations, gossips and what have you are not uncommon in political space.
“Let me stress at this point that parties in all democracies are jointly driven and no one can ascribe this nebulous assertions that a family wanted to hijack the party. It is on record that Senator Ademola Adeleke participated in a keenly contested primary which he won. The dynasty is also being blackmailed in order for them to withdraw their support for the party. It is necessary to put things straight. It must be recalled that after the Supreme court judgment, Adagunodo led the entire State Exco of the party alongside leaders of the party like Prince Diran Odeyemi, Dr. Peter Babalola, Akogun Lere Oyewumi and many others to Ede country home of the Adelekes, where a motion was moved unanimously adopting Senator Ademola Adeleke as the candidate of the party for the 2022 election.
“Senator Olu Alabi claimed the Adeleke group was behind the travails of Honourable Adagunodo because he is seen as the possible obstacle to Ademola Adeleke emerging as PDP’s candidate in 2022. Why such stance? Let Adagunodo come out clean and let him present himself to the National Disciplinary Committee in Abuja and once he is free, the same national body will reinstate him and he will become stronger. Some of us, who believe in the leadership of Adagunodo were shocked to hear these allegations against him,” he explained.
And findings by The Nation revealed that the suspension of Adagunodo and inauguration of Ayanfe may not be the end of the crisis within the Osun state chapter of the party. To put the situation within the party in clearer perspective, a former gubernatorial aspirant of the party in the state who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “I will not want to be quoted because we all are still watching the unfolding drama critically. Nobody is really saying it should not be Demola Adeleke in 2022, but not in this brazen way they are going about it.
“They want to totally silence every opposing voice. You’re tagged an enemy of the party once you have a dissenting opinion. That is what many of us see as unacceptable,” the PDP chieftain said as he urged the national leadership to be cautious in handling the entire crisis. Like him, many party faithful within and outside Osun state are now worried that the situation in Osun may throw PDP in the southwest into another round of protracted crises.
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